United News of Bangladesh

A one-and-a- half year old baby girl drowned in a pond at Gochha village in Mohonpur upazila on Sunday morning. The deceased was identified as Orin Afroz,  daughter of Mosharraf Ali of the village. Read:Drowning kills 2.5 million people in last decade: WHO Locals said Orin came out of home at one stage of playing and slipped into the pond. Later, her floating body was recovered from the pond. Tauhidul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Mohonpur Police Station, said an unnatural death case was filed in this regard.

A 20-member Indian army team arrived in Bangladesh on Sunday to take part in a joint cycle rally with Bangladesh army team to promote friendship between the two countries. The November 15-19 cycle rally will kick off at Jashore Cantonment on Monday.  It will run through Jhenaidah, Kushtia,Jibonnagar and Darshana. Also read: BGB-BSF border conference begins in Guwahati During the tour the cyclists will stop at historical sites of the 1971 Bangladesh War of Liberation in which Indian army joined with Mukti Bahini. They will speak to valiant freedom fighters to learn about their experience. The Indian team, led by Colonel Mohit Singh, was welcomed at Benapole by Brigadier General of Jashore Cantonment Hafizur Rahman. Also read: BSF reaffirms to use non-lethal weapons on border  Bangladesh and Indian army teams held their first joint cycle rally in 2017. It has since then been an annual event.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained the fugitive death-row convict in ex-Sonakania UP chairman murder case from Barodona in Satkania upazila of Chattogram district early Sunday. The detainee is Bashir Ahmed, vice-president of Satkania upazila unit Awami League. Tipped off, a team of Rab-7 conducted a drive in the area and arrested Bashir around 2:30 am, said Anwar Hossian, Officer-in-Charge of Satkania Police Station. Read: Women arrested after posing as IGP’s wife to influence recruitment The Rab team handed over Bashir to police. According to court sources, Amzad Hossain alias Amzad chairman was shot dead by miscreants in front of Satkania Mirzakhil Shrine on October 3, 1999. A case was filed in this connection the following day. On December 13, last year, Chattogram Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge AKM Mozzammel Haque sentenced ten people including Bashir to death and five others to life term imprisonment in the case. Read: DB arrest 5 for leaking bank recruitment test questions  

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained the prime accused in the case over the killing of newly-elected UP member Abdur Rauf from Boda upazila in Panchagarh district on Sunday. The detainee is Arif Mia. Tipped off, a team of Rab-13 conducted a drive in the area and detained Arif from Panchagarh district. Read: Driver, helper held over death of 10-year-old girl in city road crash Earlier, on Friday night, Abdur Rauf, a newly elected member of Laxmipur union parishad, was killed by a youth in Gobindapur village of Gaibandha Sadar upazila. Police claimed to have arrested a man, identified as Rezaul, in connection with the murder. Touhidul Islam, superintendent of Gaibandha Police, said “A compliant was lodged with Sadar Police on Saturday and the attacker might have killed him over previous enmity.” Read: Youth held with 2,350 yaba pills in city Local people on Saturday blocked Gaibandha-Sundarganj road at Laxmipur Bazar in Sadar upazila demanding exemplary punishment of the killer.

A man and his wife died on the spot when their motorbike collided head-on with a truck on the Muhuriganj Highway in Feni's Chhagalnaiya Saturday. The deceased Nur Uddin and Aklima Akter were from the Kalidaha union of Chhagalnaiya upazila, said Monir Hossain, in-charge of Fazilpur Highway Police Outpost. Police managed to seize the truck and held the driver and his assistant, Monir added. Read: 4 killed in Kurigram road accident Every day seven to eight people die in motorcycle accidents in the country, according to Nirapad Sarak Chai (Nischa). In the last six months up to June this year, 18 people died in road accidents on average every day, said Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association. Read: 3 killed in Gazipur road accident Road accidents claim around 5,000 lives in Bangladesh every year, said Nischa.

In a first for the district, a member of the transgender community has won elected office during phase two of the UP elections last Thursday. Shahida Bibi, 43, has been elected as a member of Maguraghona Union Parishad-6 (Council) in Khulna district. Shahida’s victory was announced on Thursday after she contested a reserved seat for women of wards 4, 5, and 6 under the unionint the second phase of UP polls. She won by a huge margin of 2,740 votes competing against four female candidates with her symbol Mic. Shahida, a resident of ward-6 of Dumuria upazila, has been living for a long time in this area after building her own house. Her father Abdur Razaque Morol is a resident of Dakkhin Chuknagar village. Read: Empowering transgender and hijra communities a priority of the state: NBR chairman An ecstatic Shahida vowed to change society’s perspective towards the transgender community through her activities after winning. “I have contested in the poll to ensure the rights for people of our community which I’ll try to attain with my utmost effort,” she said. "People elected me for this position even though our community is neglected in society. I’m indebted to all who voted for me,” she said. Shahida also thanked the only transgender voter in the three reserved wards, Moni Mukta, for her constant support and another group of her community who came from different areas on the day of election to show their support. Meanwhile Moni Mukta said, “This is an achievement is for all of our community as people valued our efforts in the election campaign.” Read: Tashnuva Anan makes history as first transgender woman to present the news in Bangladesh When asked about future plans, Shahida said she wants to return the love she got from people by doing notable work for the locals. A guideline was approved in 2013 at cabinet committee for granting Hijra or transgenders state recognition. Following that, in January, 2014, government issued a gazette granting state recognition to the transgender community. In 2019, the Election Commission decided to enlist third gender as a gender identity in the voter list along with male and female. Shortly afterwards, the country got its first transgender elected representative, shop owner Pinki Khatun was was elected a councillor in Kotchandpur, Jhenaidah district, also in Khulna division.

Police on Saturday arrested a bus driver and his helper in Chattogram for allegedly pushing off a passenger from a moving bus following an altercation over bus fare. The arrestees are driver Md. Ashraf and his helper Md. Hanif. Passenger Abdul Hamid suffered injuries on Friday night when he was pushed off a bus at Ispahani intersection in the city, said Kotwali Police Station officer-in-charge Mohammad Nezam Uddin. Hamid said, “I he was going to Lalkhan Bazar from Gate-2 area of the city. As the helper asked me for fare I gave Tk 5 but he demanded Tk 8. After verbally  assaulting  me he  pushed me off the bus.” Hamid filed a case at Kotwali Police Station on charge of attempting murder. Police seized the bus after arresting the two.

Police on Friday arrested one of the absconding death row convicts in the sensational 2014 murder case of Fulgazi upazila chairman Ekramul Haque Ekram. The arrestee was identified as Ziaur Rahman Bappi, but there is a mismatch with his father's name as recorded in the docket, said Nizamuddin, Officer-in-Charge of Feni model police station. Bappi was arrested from Dhumsadda village in Baligaon union during a drive on Friday evening, said the OC. Bappi was one of the 17 absconding death row convicts in the murder case. On March 13, 2018 Feni District and Session's Court sentenced 39 people to death in the sensational murder case. Of them, 22 are now behind bars. On May 20, 2014 Ekram was killed by armed miscreants in front of Bilasi Cinema Hall. He was barricaded, shot with a bullet, hacked and later burnt to death. His elder brother then filed a case with Feni model police station. The 16 other fugitive convicts are Fulgazi upazila AL joint general secretary Jahid Hossain Jihad, Feni-2 MP Nizam Hazari’s cousin Abidul Islam Abid, Md Nafiz Uddin Anik, Arman Hossain Kauser, Jahedul Hashem Soikat, Jashim Uddin Nayan, Emran Hossain Russel, Rahat Md Erfan, Ekram Hossain, Shafiqur Rahman, Kafil Uddin, Mosleh Uddin Asif, Ismail Hossain Chuttu, Mohiuddin Anis, Bablu and Titu.

Brahmanbaria railway station which was vandalised and torched by Hefazat-e-Islam activists and supporters on March 26 resumed its full-scale operation on Saturday. The full-fledged operation of the station began with the stoppage of Jayantika Express train at the station on its way from Dhaka to Sylhet. Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan and Brahmanbaria Sadar MP  Obaidul Moktadir Chowdhury inaugurated the operation of the station from Kamalapur station in Dhaka Brahmanbaria railway station respectively in the morning. Read: Railways Minister seeks Russian investment in railway sector Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said that on March 26, the station master's room, operating room, VIP room, chief booking assistant's room, ticket counter, signaling equipment including panel board, level crossing gate with point box and other installations were vandalized and set on fire at Brahmanbaria rail station. The attacks caused a loss of Tk 2.5 crore to Bangladesh Railway. Stoppages of all intercity trains were suspended at Brahmanbaria station after the incident. Read: Natore’s Azimnagar railway station closed He said that trains will stop at the station as before from now, he said adding that 14 intercity, 6 mail and 4 commuter trains stop at the station. Railway Station Master Shoaib Mia said that with the resumption of the activities of Brahmanbaria station it has been upgraded from D category to B category rail station.

Two sisters riding pillion on their uncle's bike were killed after being run over by a speeding truck in the Palerhat area of the Laxmipur-Ramganj highway on Saturday morning, police said. The deceased were identified as Sanjida Akhter, daughter of Arif Hossain of Raipur upazila, and Famida, daughter of Alamgir Hossain. Sanjida and Famida were cousins. Read: 3 farm workers killed in Sirajganj road crash Sanjida, a Class VIII student of Laxmipur Govt Girls School, and Famida, a IX grader of Dhaka Segunbagicha High School, were on their way to their grandfather's house when the accident occurred. The sisters were ran over by the killer truck when they fell off their uncle's bike after he suddenly lost control of the two-wheeler on the high-speed corridor, police said. Read: 9 Hindu devotees die in India road crash Agitated passersby caught the truck driver and handed him over to the police. They dispersed only after cops assured them of action in the case. "Legal action will be taken against the truck driver after a probe," said a officer from Laxmipur Model Thana.